What is a garden room?

With the unpredictable British weather, you might find that you don’t get as much use out of your garden as you’d like – and that’s just in the warmer months.

During the autumn and winter it’s easy to forget the garden even exists, leaving you stuck indoors while your outdoor space sits unused. A garden room is a smart and versatile solution to this age-old problem, that will let you combine the best parts of the indoors and outdoors and enjoy your garden year-round.

What exactly is a garden room?

In some ways, a garden room is similar to a conservatory. However, garden rooms have a solid, tiled roof as opposed to a glass one, to bring more comfort in all weathers and temperatures. They are also fully insulated, so don’t need heating as much as a conservatory. A garden room can either be attached to the rest of the house, or a separate outbuilding.

Designs and specific features vary a lot from one garden room to the next, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are a fantastic way to experience some of the feeling of being outdoors, while keeping comfortable no matter what the weather is doing.

Bright and airy

One of the best things about being outside in the garden is the feeling of open space, and the bright sunlight. Garden rooms let you feel the same sort of freedom of openness by allowing the light to stream through their glass walls.

Even dull winter days seem much brighter in a warm, cosy space that maximises light and gives you a clear, panoramic view of your garden. You can watch the seasons change outside in total comfort, come rain or snow.

Adaptable year-round

Garden rooms can be built with sliding glass walls. This lets you easily adjust to the temperature and get the most out of the room at any time of year.

On hot summer days, you can really open the room up and feel the warmth of the sunshine and any gentle breeze from outside, while having the benefit of sitting in the shade with all the amenities you choose to keep in your garden room.

SunSpaces have a wide range of garden rooms and you can even design your own. Even if you opt for fixed panels instead of sliding ones, you can be assured that the room will serve you well year-round, and the doors can still be opened to bring in some of the outdoors.

A versatile addition

Adding a garden room to your home brings obvious benefits in the factors already discussed. But there’s really no limit to the ways it can be used.

Sofas and armchairs make a cosy space to enjoy the sunshine, or adding a dining table means an unusual place to eat and entertain guests. Garden rooms can make a lovely place to sit and read at any time of the year, or you could give part of the room to the kids for a play area. If you do any work from home, a garden room office can make the experience a lot more enjoyable, and it’s also another place for storage if you need it.

Overall, a garden room gives you the opportunity to experience the feeling of going from inside to outside without ever leaving the house.